Paraguay hoping to catch Azzurri cold
Source: Agencies |
June 14, 2010, Monday
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HOLDER Italy, written off at home as a no-hoper to retain its world title and a traditionally slow starter, is in danger of being caught napping by in-form Paraguay in their Group F opener in Cape Town today.
Coach Marcello Lippi has kept faith with the bulk of the team that triumphed in Berlin four years ago but local media and Italian fans have not stopped complaining despite an unbeaten qualifying campaign.
A draw with Switzerland and defeat by Mexico in warm-up games added fuel to the fire and with Lippi seemingly still unsure about his first-choice lineup there is a real fear his team could be caught out.
With subsequent games against New Zealand and Slovakia it remains unthinkable the four-time champion could fail to advance but the Azzurri seem to be putting their faith in past pedigree rather than current talent.
Antonio Di Natale, with 29 goals for Udinese as Serie A's top scorer this season, and Alberto Gilardino should carry the strike threat and the vastly experienced Lippi, unsurprisingly, is not concerned by the critics. "No team comes to the World Cup knowing exactly what they can do, you grow through the tournament," he said.
That is something Paraguay rarely has the luxury of experiencing having never got past the second round in its seven finals appearances, falling at the first hurdle four times.
This time, though, confidence is high after an impressive qualifying campaign in which it finished second and beat Brazil and Argentina along the way.
Despite losing its main striker in qualifying, Salvador Cabanas, after he was shot in the head in Mexico City, it has maintained that form in warm-ups, drawing with Ivory Coast, losing narrowly to Ireland and beating North Korea and Greece.
Roque Santa Cruz remains its key striker, despite barely getting a game in the English Premier League with Manchester City.
Despite Paraguay's previous failures there is a real optimism about this campaign and a draw against Italy would be seen as the ideal start ahead of two winnable matches.
"I'm happy to start against Italy, I like the fact we're not defining anything against them," Coach Gerardo Martino told World Soccer magazine. "Whether the group turns out to be easy or difficult is up to us."
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